Global Distribution and 14-Year Changes in Erythemal Irradiance
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https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2019-793 Preprint. Discussion started: 21 October 2019 c Author(s) 2019. CC BY 4.0 License. 1 Global Distribution and 14-YearRadiation Changes amplif in Erythemal Irradiance, UV Atmospheric Transmission, and Total Column Ozone 2005 – 2018 Estimated from OMI and EPIC 2 Observations 3 4 Jay Herman1 Alexander Cede2 Liang Huang3 Jerald Ziemke5 5 Matthew Kowalewski2, Karin Blank4 6 7 1University of Maryland Baltimore County JCET, Baltimore, Maryland USA 2SciGlob Instruments and Services, Ellicott City, Maryland, USA 3Science Systems and Applications, Lanham, Maryland, USA 4NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland USA 5Morgan State University, GESTAR, Baltimore Maryland Corresponding Author email: [email protected] 1 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2019-793 Preprint. Discussion started: 21 October 2019 c Author(s) 2019. CC BY 4.0 License. 8 Abstract 9 Satellite data from the Ozone Measuring Instrument (OMI) and Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera 10 (EPIC) for ozone amount and scene reflectivity (mostly from clouds) are used to study changes and global 11 distribution of UV erythemal irradiance in mW/m2 E(,z,t) and UV index (E/25 mWm2) over the Earth’s 12 surface as a function of latitude , longitude altitude z, and time t. OMI time series data starting in 13 January 2005 to December 2018 are used to estimate 14-year changes in total column ozone TCO3 and 14 scene reflectivity at 105 specific land plus 77 ocean locations in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. 15 Estimates of changes in atmospheric transmission T(,z,t) derived from cloud and haze reflectivity show 16 almost no average 14-year change from 55OS to 35ON but show an increase from 40ON to 60ON. This 17 implies increased solar insolation at high northern latitudes that suggests positive feedback for global O O 18 warming. TCO3 has increased at a rate of 2% per decade for the latitudes between 60 S to 10 N changing 19 to a decrease of 1% per decade between 40ON to 60ON. The result is an average decrease in E(,z,t) at a 20 rate of 2% per decade in the Southern Hemisphere and an increase between 40ON to 60ON. For some 21 specific sites (latitudes from 55OS to 45ON) there has been little or no change in E(,z,t) for the period 22 2005 – 2018. Nearly half the sites show the effects of both short- and long-term cloud change as well as 23 total column ozone change. Synoptic EPIC data from the sunlit Earth are used to derive ozone and 24 reflectivity needed for global images of the distribution of E(,z,t) from sunrise to sunset centered on 25 the Americas, Europe-Africa, and Asia. EPIC data are used to show the latitudinal distribution of E(,z,t) 26 from the equator to 75O for specific longitudes. Dangerously high amounts of erythemal irradiance (12 < 27 UV index < 18) are found for many low latitude and high-altitude sites (e.g., San Pedro, Chile (2.45 km), La 28 Paz, Bolivia (3.78 km). Lower UV indices at some equatorial or high-altitude sites (e.g., Quito, Ecuador) are 29 moderated by the presence of persistent cloud effects. High UVI levels (UVI > 6) are also found at most 30 mid-latitude sites during the summer months. High levels of UVI are known to lead to health problems 31 (skin cancer and eye cataracts) with extended unprotected exposures as shown in the extensive health 32 statistics maintained by Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the United States National Institute 33 of Health National Cancer Institute. 34 35 36 37 2 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2019-793 Preprint. Discussion started: 21 October 2019 c Author(s) 2019. CC BY 4.0 License. 38 1 Introduction 39 Calculated or measured amounts of UV radiation reaching the Earth’s surface can be used as a 40 proxy to estimate the effects of changing ozone and cloud cover on human health. High levels of UV 41 irradiance are known to affect the incidence of skin cancer (Findlay 1928, Diffey, 1987, Strom and 42 Yamamura, 1997) and the development of eye cataracts (Ambach and Blumthaler, 1993; Abraham et al., 43 2010; Roberts, 2011, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2016, Howlander et al., 2019). The UV 44 response function (action spectra) for the development of skin cancer and eye cataracts are different 45 (Herman, 2010), but the effects are highly correlated. Similar correlations exists for other action spectra 46 (e.g., plant growth, vitamin D production, and DNA damage action spectra) involving the UV portion of 47 the solar spectrum. Because of these correlations, this paper will only estimate erythemal (skin reddening) 48 effects. To obtain standardized results, we use a weighted UV spectrum based on the CIE-action 49 (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage) spectrum suggested by McKinlay and Diffey (1987) to 50 estimate the erythemal effect of UV radiation incident on human skin. erythemal irradiance (E) is usually 51 measured or calculated in energy units (mW/m2) reaching the Earth’s surface after passing through 52 atmospheric absorbing and scattering effects from ozone, aerosols, and clouds for the wavelength range 53 300 – 400 nm. A fast algorithm (Herman, 2010) for calculating E and other action spectra was developed 54 based on calculations using the scalar TUV radiative transfer program (Madronich , 1993a; 1993b; 55 Madronich and Flocke, 1997). The fast algorithm was extended to include the effect of increasing E with 56 altitude (Herman et al., 2018) as applied to the synoptic measured amounts of ozone, clouds and aerosols 57 obtained by the EPIC (Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera) instrument onboard the DSCOVR (Deep Space 58 Climate Observatory) spacecraft orbiting about the Earth-Sun Lagrange-1 gravitational balance point 59 (Herman et al., 2018; Marshak et al., 2018). 60 This paper presents calculated noontime E(,z,t) time series and least squares LS linear trends 61 from 2005 – 2018 for 105 globally distributed locations at different latitudes , longitudes , altitudes z, 62 and time t (in years) most of which are centered on heavily populated areas such as New York City, Seoul 63 Korea, Buenos Aires, etc. (see Tables 1, 2, and 3 and an extended table A4 for 105 land sites in the 64 Appendix) based on measurements of the relevant parameters from OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) 65 onboard the AURA spacecraft. An additional 77 locations in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean for a range of 66 latitudes are also discussed. OMI satellite measurements were selected because OMI has the longest 67 continuous well calibrated UV irradiance time series from a single instrument with global coverage and 68 moderate spatial resolution (13x24 km2 at its nadir view). The derived numerical algorithms used for the 69 calculations are given in the Appendix. Estimates are given of 14-year latitude dependent changes in 70 atmospheric transmission T(,z,t) (mostly from change in cloud reflectivity), changes on total column 71 ozone TCO3(,z,tO), and changes in erythemal irradiance E(,z,tO). To augment the specific locations 72 selected for time series analysis, synoptic sunrise to sunset estimates of E(,z,tO) are derived from EPIC 73 measurements of the illuminated Earth at several Greenwich Mean Times tO with a spatial resolution of 74 18x18 km2 at the spacecraft nadir view for various longitudes centered on the Americas, Europe-Africa, 75 and Asia. 76 3 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2019-793 Preprint. Discussion started: 21 October 2019 c Author(s) 2019. CC BY 4.0 License. 77 78 2 Erythemal Time Series and LS Linear Trends 79 Total column ozone amounts TCO3 and 340 nm Lambert Equivalent Reflectivity LER (converted to 80 transmission T(,z,t)) are retrieved from spectrally resolved irradiance measurements (300 – 550 nm) 81 obtained from OMI for the entire Earth. OMI data are filtered to remove measurements obtained from 82 portions of the CCD detector affected by the “row anomaly” (Schenkeveld et al., 2017). OMI is a polar 83 orbiting side viewing satellite instrument (2600 km width on the surface) onboard the AURA spacecraft 84 that provides near global coverage (nadir resolution field of view 13 km x 24 km) once per day from a 90- 85 minute polar orbit with an equator crossing time of approximately 13:30 local solar time (LST) (Levelt et 86 al., 2018). Because of OMI’s simultaneous side-viewing capability, there are occasionally a 2nd or 3rd data 87 points (±90 minutes) from adjacent orbits at higher latitude locations. This study uses column ozone 88 amounts (in Dobson units DU, 1 DU = 2.687x1016 molecules/cm2) and 340 nm Lambert equivalent 89 reflectivity LER (Herman et al., 2009) (LER is in reflectivity units, 0<RU<100) data organized in gridded form 90 for the entire sunlit Earth every 24 hours. Ozone and reflectivity data (2005 – 2018) at a resolution of 1O 91 x 1O are available in ASCII format from https://avdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/tmp/OMI_Daily_O3_and_LER/ for 92 latitude , longitude , and time t (in fractional years) in order to estimate noontime E(,z,t). The LER 93 data has been corrected for instrument drift by requiring that the LER values over the Antarctic high 94 plateau region remain constant over 14 years. The LER calibration correction permits 14-year linear LS 95 trends to be estimated. A gridded 1O X 1O Version 8.5 ozone product is available from 96 https://avdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/DSCOVR/OMI_Gridded_O3/. Site specific time series are generated from 97 the 1Ox1O degree latitude by longitude files.